New Thing- Attend the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair
Inspiration: Devon
Time: A few hours
Bottom Line: Whoa.
Reflection: Today, we attended the Devon Horse Shoe and Country Fair. Here is the write up from their website (read the whole history here):
In the 1890′s there was a new migration into the rolling rich
farmlands and small towns of the Philadelphia western suburbs. The
railroad lines were bringing wealthy business men and their families to
visit, then to build their estates along the “Mainline”. Although they
came by train, once here they depended on horses to pull their buggies
and coaches and carts. In April of 1896 a dozen local gentlemen
discussed the need of better horses for their vehicles. May 22 a meeting
was called by the gentlemen inviting their friends and neighbors to
“effect an organization for the purpose of holding a Horse Show at
Devon”. Less than two months later the first Devon Horse Show was held!
From a one day Show of 28 classes, Devon grew quickly. By 1914 Devon
Horse Show was the largest outdoor horse show in the country, a
reputation it still holds today. There was already a grandstand for the
comfort of the spectators, and also a new status symbol, forty-six boxes
with canvas awnings for the elite.
By the 1950′s The Devon Horse Show and Country Fair realized that the
increasingly dwindling group of socially elite could no longer
financially support a week long exhibition. So they started to actively
entice the public. The Country Fair Village was no longer solely
volunteer run; many merchants rented the tiny shops and brought the
newest fashions, jewelry and home goods to the fairgoers. Toy Shops and
Midways, Antique Stores, Dairy Bars, Flea Markets, a Midway with Ferris
wheel, and many pre-events made Devon Country Fair a year-long
undertaking. At the same time the Horse Show started a public relations
campaign that invited local and national celebrities. Before long a
portion of the attendees came for the rides and the games, for the
shopping and the dining and were barely aware of the horses in the
rings. For the aficionados however the Show kept improving with the
quality of the exhibitors and the variety of the classes. The rings and
courses had several reincarnations always looking towards the safety of
the spectators, the competitors and their horses. The grandstands and
barns had also been rebuilt and enlarged.
The Devon Horse Show and Country Fair continues its remarkable
success and growth. Over 2000 volunteers sell and serve and plan and
work for the Show and its beneficiary the Bryn Mawr Hospital. They are
what keep Devon so vibrant with energy yet rich in history.
I'll put it this way: it was not the Wyoming County Fair. Lobster, tea, no mud bog. Anthropology even had a stand! Whoa.
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